Gator Gazette Feb. 9 - 13, 2026

Week of February 9^th -February 13^th, 2026

Graduation Photo Reminder

This is a friendly reminder that graduation photos will take place at the school on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Please ensure your students are photo-ready!

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Families planning to move or students not returning in September

As we begin our planning for the 2026-2027 school year, we kindly ask you to inform the school office if your family has plans to move over the summer or if your children will not be returning in September for any reason. This information helps us to ensure a smooth transition for all students and to make necessary staffing arrangements for the upcoming academic year. 

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated and helps us in planning effectively for the new school year. Thank you for your support. 

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Kindergarten & Gr. 1 French Immersion Registration is now open

Kindergarten registration is now open for children born in 2022. For more information, please visit https://www2.yrdsb.ca/schools-programs/elementary-school/kindergarten/kindergarten-registration 

Parents or guardians of Year 2 Kindergarten students entering Grade 1 in 2026, and wishing to enrol in the FI Program, can email or call the school office and indicate their intention to enrol.  Families are asked to register by February 9, 2026.

Tips for Speaking With Your Child After a Tragic Event~ Supporting Family Conversations

The Board’s website has tips for speaking with your child after a tragic event. The information was prepared with resources from the National Association of School Psychologists, the Ontario Psychological Association, and the American Psychological Association.

YRDSB,  Inclusive School and Community Services (ISCS) invites students, families, and staff to join us for an evening celebrating Chinese Heritage Month Celebration. Thursday, February 12, 2026; 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Bur Oak Secondary School (933 Bur Oak Ave, Markham, ON L6E 1G4).

 This student-centred, community-focused event highlights the richness of Chinese culture and history, and the contributions of Chinese-Canadian communities. 

We welcome all students, staff and families to attend and participate. Please register for the event to help us with planning for the evening.

 ECO CLUB Announcements

Get your reusable containers ready because next week, we are kicking off a special mission! Starting Monday, Jan.26, we are launching a two-week Boomerang Lunch Challenge. 

What is a Boomerang Lunch? It’s simple: Everything you bring to school in your lunch bag goes back home with you. This means that if you have a wrapper, a juice box, or a ziplock bag, it goes back in your lunch bag to be thrown out or recycled at home.

Do you have a drawer at home full of dead batteries? Maybe from old toys, remote controls, or video game controllers? Well, don't throw them in the trash!

We are starting a Battery Blitz here at school! We are collecting used batteries to make sure they are recycled properly.

Donations for Indoor Recess Activities

We are looking for some family-friendly board games and card games that students can play during indoor recesses.  If your family no longer uses board games at home, please consider donating them to the school.  Thank you!

Celebrating STEM with YRDSB for Black History Month-        click here to register

Understanding and Navigating the Education System - Families of YRDSB Black Students Monthly Virtual Information Session on Monday, February 9, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Families, parents, and caregivers, please join us for our monthly virtual meeting, where families with Black children come together to learn about resources and upcoming programs for Black students in both elementary and secondary schools. Please see our flyer for more information and the registration link. For further information, please email the Centre for Black Student Excellence (CBSE) at blackstudentexcellence@yrdsb.ca.

New Parent/Caregiver resource hub to support your child’s mental health and well-being. 

School Mental Health Ontario has introduced By Your Side, a suite of resources to support mental health and well-being for every family.  We know that parents and caregivers want their children to be physically and mentally healthy, and already have many effective tools and strategies in place. By Your Side recognizes the expertise of parents and caregivers and offers resources to support and strengthen mental health and well-being in every family. 

The new Learning Hub is an online resource centre co-created by Ontario parents/caregivers and school mental health professionals, designed to meet the needs of Ontario’s families. Resources and support are made available in multiple formats—including web content, PDFs, videos and webinars (coming soon!)—the Hub ensures families can access information and strategies that promote mental health and well-being at home. 

Key topics in the Parent/Caregiver Learning Hub include:

• understanding mental health
• promoting mental health at home
• supporting mental health at school
• stress and anxiety management
• substance use prevention
• navigating digital technology use
• reaching out for help 

We are excited to share these new supports with you! Scan the QR code with your phone’s camera to access the Hub!

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Pink Shirt Day - February 25, 2026    Pink Shirt Day is a globally recognized day to support anti-bullying and upstanding behaviour, such as standing up to all forms of hate and discrimination. While bullying negatively affects many people, we also know there are many students, parents, schools and community members who want to help. We invite members of the Phoebe Gilman community to wear pink on Wednesday.

Click here for the Persian Translation.  Click here for the Russian Translation. Please email the school if you need the Gator Social translated into a different language. phoebe.gilman.ps@yrdsb.ca